Cindy Crawford’s Split Political Loyalties, Off-Shore Drilling in Alaska and More in Capital Eye Opener: May 18

Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics:CINDY CRAWFORD A MODEL OF SPLIT LOYALTIES: Cindy Crawford has a new starring role: political spokesperson. Various media outlets report that the supermodel appeared in a video for Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, in spite of her previous support for President Barack Obama, who is most certainly not a Republican.

In 2008, Crawford and her husband, Rande Gerber, donated $2,300 each to Obama, federal records indicate.

To see how much other celebrities donated to politicians, use the OpenSecrets.org “Donor lookup” tool, but be careful: Some celebrities share their names with other Americans. In this case, don’t confuse Cindy Crawford, actress and supermodel, with Cindy P. Crawford of Morristown, N.J., or Cindy Jean Crawford of Amarillo, Texas, both of whom donated to Republicans during the 2008 election.

As for the Romney video, which reportedly was used to educate Romney supporters as to how to use “ConnMitt” fund-raising software, it was screened Monday at Romney’s “National Call” day.

This strategy proved to be very effective — Romney reportedly raised over $10 million on this night alone, which is just less than one-tenth of the entire sum Romney raised during his 2008 presidential bid. How much of that windfall is attributable to Crawford’s on-screen performance is yet to be determined.

Crawford herself remains mum on whether her appearance in the video indicates that her loyalties have shifted. In a recent twitter post, she said she hasn’t decided who to support come 2012.

Historically, not much, but as of early this week, all three officeholders finally agree on something. With many Americans struggling with high gas prices, the President has instructed the Department of Interior to begin annually leasing areas of the Alaskan National Petroleum Reserve to companies interested in drilling. Murkowski and Begich both support the President’s move, which has been criticized by environmental groups.

A look in the OpenSecrets.org databases shows that the three politicians have more in common than support for this new land lease. Murkowski, who won back her Senate seat after mounting a highly unusual write-in campaign, received the most money from oil and gas in her Senate campaign — $107,000 from individuals associated with oil and gas companies, and $196 thousand from oil and gas PACs.

Begich and Obama have also benefited from the generosity of oil companies. In Obama’s 2004 U.S. Senate race in Illinois, he received a modest $70,000 from PACs and individuals associated with the oil and gas industry. During 2008 presidential bid, he received a more substantial $905 thousand. Begich, rounding out the pack, received $140 thousand from individuals and PACs associated with the oil industry in his hotly-contested Senate race in 2008.

Although vocal on the subject of drilling in Alaska, these three politicians are hardly the first to receive large sums of money from the oil industry.

For example, the PAC of Shell, one of the first companies likely to benefit from Obama’s new proclamation, contributed $75,000 to federal candidates during the 2008 election cycle. Shell Oil also “shelled” out $10 million in lobbying expenses in 2010.

Basic tasks, such as learning the names of your new co-workers, figuring out how to get to work and understanding the “lingo” in your new place of employment, can be daunting for the new employee.

Some people, however, can make this transition a little more easily than others. Former U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln appears to be the latest in a long line of Democrats making their way from the U.S. Capitol to K Street. Roll Call is reporting that Lincoln, who in November lost in her re-election bid, will be joining the lobbying firm Alston & Bird. The firm, which has also employed former Sens. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and Bob Dole (R-Kansas), as well as former Rep. Earl Pomoroy (R-N.D.), has long been a powerhouse in Washington.

So, what should Lincoln expect her daily work to be like in her new place of employment? According to Alston & Bird’s most recent lobbying disclosures with the Senate Office of Public Records, the firm has represented a wide variety of interests this year. Lincoln may be familiar with a few of Alston & Bird’s new clients — the employees or political action committees of several, including the American Hospital Association, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and AFLAC, were among her top 100 campaign donors last election cycle.

Lincoln may also be familiar with a few of her new co-workers. According to the Center for Responsive Politics’ research, 49 individuals work for the firm who previously worked in government. Several of these people have worked for former congressional members, and Roll Call reports that the former staff director for the Senate Agriculture Committee, of which Lincoln was chairman, will also be joining the firm.

Don’t expect Lincoln to be knocking at the doors of her former colleagues any time soon, though. According to Senate rules, former senators are forbidden from actively lobbying their former colleagues for a period of two years after leaving office, although they may lobby federal agencies and otherwise help craft and advise on lobbying strategies.

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Sarah, who joined the Center in April 2011, is responsible for overseeing the Center's data analysis and research collaborations. She previously worked as the Center's lobbying and revolving door researcher. Prior to joining OpenSecrets, Sarah was a doctoral student at the Ohio State University, where she also taught undergraduate political science courses in political behavior. Her dissertation, entitled "Politicians Behaving Badly: The Determinants and Outcomes of Political Scandal in Post-Watergate America," incorporates both original data collection and political experiments. She received her Ph.D. from Ohio State in 2014, and her B.A. in political science and biology in 2006.

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